Happy 30th Anniversary, Pokémon!

I've loved Pokémon since I was a kid, from watching the anime, playing the video games, being a proud Squirtle Squad member, and collecting cards purely because they were cute. However, I never really got into the Trading Card Game until we visited the Pokémon Play Lab during PAX East last year. We figured it was a great opportunity to finally learn after enjoying the short animated series Path to the Peak a couple of years ago.

They had friendly guides, called professors, to help you learn the game at your own pace. After a few rounds, we started getting the hang of it, and now I clearly see why people love the trading card game aspect of Pokémon just as much as the show and video games! After our session, we even got to keep the cards we played with, and to our surprise, they gave each of us a starting deck on top of that, and a pin. It's always really cool seeing everyone from all generations come together through their love for Pokémon.

Pokémon, for everything that it has become, has always been a positive influence in my life. When it comes to community and togetherness, the Pokémon Play Lab exuded that for me in spades, and our obsession further grew as we got into the Pokémon TCG Pocket game. In fact, between that and Pokémon Go, those are probably the most gaming we do on our phones.

Later this year, we'll be traveling and attending a couple of other Pokémon-related events that we are super looking forward to. From all the news from the Pokémon Presents this morning and beyond, we're excited to see what else this milestone year holds for this amazing franchise and for all the wonderful fans and trainers! 

Happy 30th Anniversary Pokémon!